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Every spring our yards are filled with the bright, sunny appearance of dandelions. Well, at least I think they’re bright and sunny. Many people view the common dandelion as a weed, and wage a small war to eradicate the plant from their lawns.

Personally, I welcome the appearance of spring dandelions for one reason: I love to eat them.

I know, it sounds strange. Why on earth would someone want to eat dandelions?

Well, this innocuous “weed” is actually one of the most nutrient-dense plants you can eat. It blows superfoods like spinach and kale out of the water. Everything, from the flower all the way down to the roots, is edible. And, dandelions also happen to be delicious. The taste of dandelion resembles a slightly bitter green like arugula. You can eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove.

The best part about eating dandelions just might be the price. Since they grow wild pretty much everywhere in the country, you have a completely free food source right in your backyard.

Eating Dandelions

Nutrients and Health Benefits

Dandelions have been used in herbal medicine for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The benefits of this common plant will probably surprise you.

For instance, one half cup of dandelions contain more calcium than a glass of milk, and more iron than spinach. One cup of dandelion greens contains 19 mg of Vitamin C, and the leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots. And if you need some Vitamin K in your life, there’s no better source than dandelion leaves; 55 mg of leaves contain a whopping 535% of your daily value.

Dandelions are also chock full of other essential minerals such as potassium, folic acid, and magnesium.

And that’s not all. According to The New Age Herbalistby Richard Mabey, dandelion leaves are a great source of fiber (which helps relieve constipation). The high fiber content also makes you feel full, making it a great food to eat if you’re trying to cut calories and lose weight. They also help stabilize your blood sugar, making it a great food for diabetics.

Dandelions are also incredibly high in antioxidants, and because they are a diuretic, they help cleanse your body of toxins.

So, are you convinced yet? This sunny little weed is awesome, and I look forward to harvesting them every year. So how exactly do you do it?

How to Harvest Dandelions

Although dandelions grow through the fall, the best time to harvest dandelions is in the spring. Dandelions get bitter the older they get, so if you can pluck them young you’re going to experience a sweeter flavor. However, I ate dandelion leaves all last spring and summer, and enjoyed them all.

Safety First

The cool thing about dandelions is their unique look. There’s really no other plant or herb that closely resembles the dandelion, which is why many herbalists consider it to be one of the safest plants to harvest wild. The distinct, jagged leaves and bright yellow flower is familiar to all of us.

Now, there are a few words of warning about harvesting dandelions.

Never harvest any dandelions close to a road. They can pick up pollution.

Never harvest dandelions from an industrial lot, or any space where past pollution might have been an issue.

Never harvest dandelions from a yard where pesticides and fertilizers have been used.

Dandelions often grow where land has been disturbed. So, roadsides and medians are common places to find them. I always pick dandelions right out of my own yard (since I never use pesticides or fertilizers), but I also pick them from a huge field in my neighborhood. I know the field (which is owned by the local elementary school) is never sprayed by chemicals, so it’s another safe source.

Dandelion Leaves & Greens Now when it comes to harvesting, you want to try to pick the youngest leaves, which will be located on the inside of the growth. The oldest (and bitterest) leaves will always be on the outside. You’ll get the best greens from dandelions that haven’t yet produced a yellow flower.

To harvest the leaves, simply pluck them out of the ground and collect them in a basket or bag you have with you. They’ll keep for a day or two in the fridge, but personally I like to take them right inside and cook them immediately. They’re so delicious!

Crowns If you happen upon a plant that just produced a crown (a densely packed circle of small leaves that are just about to produce the yellow flower) then by all means pick it. Crowns are the sweetest parts of the plant!

Dandelion Flowers The flowers are also edible as well. To harvest the buds, simply pluck them off the green stem. Try to separate the flower from the green base, which is very bitter.

Dandelion Roots If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also harvest the root. Yes, dandelion root is edible and you might be amazed at what you can do with it. Dandelion root can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute. And yes, I’ve drank dandelion coffee many times; I have a bag of roasted dandelion root in my kitchen right now. Heated and served with milk it is amazing (and far more nutritious than regular coffee)!

The best time to harvest dandelion root is in the spring, since this is where all the vitamins and minerals are stored during the cold months. Simply dig out the long tuber roots, clean them thoroughly in the sink, and chop them into pieces just as you would a carrot.

Final Word

So, now that you have a basket full of dandelion flowers, leaves and roots, how do you cook them? In the next part of this series, I show you how to cook dandelions (including roasting the root for coffee), and I pass along some of my favorite dandelion greens recipes for you to try!

First, though, I’d love to hear back from you. Have you ever eaten dandelions? Would you ever give them a try?

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Heather Levin is a freelance writer based in Detroit, MI. She's passionately committed to living green, saving money, and helping others do the same in their life.

Casey Slide

Very interesting article! I never knew any of that. My son loves to hold a dandelion in his hand when we go for walks around the block, and I am always nervous he is going to eat it. I guess I don’t need to worry too much as long I give him a safe one. Thanks for the tips!

Beth

If I fertilized last year, would it be OK to pick the dandelions before I fertilize again this spring?

Heather Levin

@Casey, yeah, he should be fine eating the flower, although it will likely taste a lot better once it’s cooked! :)

@Beth, it would probably be ok since your lawn has rested (and gotten rained/snowed on) all winter. But definitely don’t eat anything once the fertilizer has gone down.

Si

Nice article!!! I TOTALLY LOVE Dandelions did some research on them a few years ago when I was searching for a healthy way to increase my Iron consumption

Heatherllevin

@Si, thanks so much! It’s almost dandelion season here in MI. :)

Tstott6010

I just introduced my grandson and some of his friends to the wonderful taste of dandelions at his first b-day today! They loved it. Much to the dismay of our neighbors we don’t use weed killer so we have plenty. Thanks for the article, people just don’t know what they have in their own backyard!!!

http://profile.yahoo.com/CADSY67K4FUPYVVIWXY34I3L3Q GloryGirl

Put them in your green smoothies. .

Melissa03144

Never tried them but will try them in a heart beat! I am always looking for natural food/medicine sources at low cost to add to my life style! thanks!

Dgcarsten

Hi, Heather, While I fully understand how/where to harvest dandelions (love them in salad!) I think your article sends kind of a mixed message. First you say: Never harvest any dandelions close to a road. They can pick up pollution. Then you say: Dandelions often grow where land has been disturbed. So, roadsides and medians are common places to find them. All in all, however, a great article. I never knew about eating the flowers or using the roots for coffee.

Heatherllevin

Dgcarsten, Thank you so much for writing in! And you’re right; I included where to find dandelions (pointing out that they do often grow in medians) and also said never to eat them there. It does send a mixed message, and I appreciate you pointing that out.

madonna

I remember my grandfather taking me for a walk in the backyard and picking them . He told me how delicious they were. My grandmother would also take me to pick burdock which is a great blood purifier.

MB

A childhood friend’s mom would take us wild greens hunting. Never knew how important those lessons were, and didn’t pay attention. How I longed for access to the medicinal plant in rain forest, not understanding I got much of these similar plants in my own back yard. Thanks. This is another majesty of God’s creation I didn’t know to appreciate. Mb

EMarie Garner

Prepared dandelions for very first time today! Very happy with the end result and looking forward to playing with this new, for me anywAy, food in the kitchen.

Analyzer123

I had heard dandelion leaves were good in salads and served in salads in 5-star restaurants. I thought hey, if they’re used in 5-star restaurants, they must be delicious and nutritious. So I dug some of them up by the root before I tilled my garden, took them into the house, put them in the sink for additional washing, told my wife i had brought them in to be added tok our salads that evening expected her to cut the leaves off from the root and add them to our salads that evening… Well, that evening when I came in from the garden, I found them, in the same form I had brought them in, except they were in the compost scraps and extremely wilted. When I inquired about why she didn’t use them in the salads, she replied, next time, just bring the leaves in. Our salads that night contained spinach and a new lettuce that I had never grown before. Now I know it must be a lettuce intended for wilting. It was tough and not as sweet as the other lettuces I’m familiar with. So the following evening, I brought in just dandelion leaves. Not knowing that big and older leaves are more bitter than smaller, young leaves, I didn’t take note of their size. What I do know, is they were as good as all of the other leaves in the salad and much better than the lettuce used the night before. Now that I have read this article and your other article that brought me here, dandelions, from the root up, will become a much used ingredient on our dinner table. However, i’ll have to share them with my 140,000 girl friends living in my backyard and making honey for me as I write this. I like my coffee bold and can’t wait to try the root brew. Thank you for this wonderful information about our natural resources and the benefits they provide us Heather!!!

Sharon Hughes

A couple years back I brewed dandelion tea from the flowers in my yard. I’m another person who doesn’t treat my yard with chemicals, so I feel safe using the ones that grow in the back yard away from the street. I steeped the flowers in boiling water and drank the tea hot. The flavor and aroma were both lightly sweet and I found the experience of preparing and drinking the tea delightful. This spring I’m going to eat the greens and see how that goes. Thank you for sharing all this information about dandelions, the under appreciated and often misunderstood gem of na

Atlanta Girl

Have some starting in my back yard (high fence). I haven’t used any sort of chemicals on my yard in 8+yrs. Going to spread the seeds so I have growing selection.

David Olds

Hi Heather, Im starting to harvest the Dandelion roots from a growing plot in Cambridge, UK and am loving roasting them and making Dandelion coffee with them:) I only tried it with milk today, and a darker roast than I normally do, and it was allot like coffee, so im gonna experiment with that more:) Ive just taken my first harvest of leaves and am gonna try them out raw…maybe cooked as well. Im just doing some reading as I thought the leaves or stems didnt agree with my stomach the other day when I ate quite a few of them…I had a bloated and saw stomach for two days!

Thanks for sharing all you have, and I love the look of your garden!:)

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